And now for Some Serious News

I know that all the photos of food are great. And I know that I'm the weird one that thinks heavy thoughts even while on vacation. So I'll ease into it with some history of Spain for those who look at the architecture and wonder where it all comes from.

There are 6 major pieces of history of Spain.

First -- Roman Empire. There were fights between Carthage and Rome, but in the end Rome won. By the time Jesus was born, Spain was firmly in the hands of the Roman generals. Southern outposts in Spain became the headquarters for the western portions of the empire, with trade routes stretching north even to Britain.

Second -- Visigoths. As the Empire crumbled, many contenders fought for control. In Spain the victor is the Visigoths, a pseudo-Christian warrior people that took over the Roman outposts. Visigoths left very few architecture as a people, so there aren't that many things left from that era.

Third -- Moors. Since the Visigoth princes were too busy in political intrigue and murders, the Muslim group known as the Moors swept north from Morrocco and stormed all of southern Spain. This group stayed for 700 years (I believe) and has a heavy influence on the southern Spain. The Moors were fighting against the caliphs in Mecca, so they set up a competing mosque for their worshippers.

Fourth -- Catholics. The Moors never took over the very north end of Spain, however, and this meant the Catholic Christians attacked from the north. Queen Isabel and king Fernandid married, creating the greatest Christian alliance in Spain. They swept south and took control of all of Spain. They launched Christopher Columbus, (their descendants) had the cruel Spanish Inquisition to purge Jews and Muslims for both religious and politcal reasons, and finished the reconquista.

Fifth -- In the early 1900s general-turned-dictator Franco took control and ruined the country. Although nominally a fascist, he was smart enough not to engage in WWI or WWII. He denied access to Spain by the Allied forces, but also did not allow Mussolini and Hitler to come into Spain either.

Sixth -- After Franco's death, the people were able to breathe again. The king was reinstated to the throne. Within a few short years, however, he abjugated the throne in order for the young democracy to grow. The democracy is only 40 years old, I believe. Today, Spain is an integral part of the European Union.

So there you go. That is why northern Spain (Catholic) is so different from southern Spain (Muslim). Incidentally, flamenco and tapas are from the south; paella is from the north.